Angus King III, a Democrat running for governor, talks about his housing plans in Portland on Tuesday. (Spectrum News/Susan Cover)
By: Susan Cover
PORTLAND, Maine (Spectrum) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Angus King III unveiled his housing plan on Tuesday, saying he wants to see 10,000 homes built per year by the end of his first term.
“We have a huge housing shortage here in Maine,” he said Tuesday in Portland. “But it’s really not to me about the numbers as much as it is about the families who cannot find room for themselves as they are growing.”
It’s difficult to estimate just how many homes are built per year in Maine because they are approved at the local level. To address the need for data, a state law that went into effect earlier this year requires municipalities with 4,000 or more residents to report their housing data to the state.
A 2023 study showed Maine needs 84,000 homes to meet demand by 2030. Data from the State of Maine Housing Data Portal shows that in Cumberland County alone, 10,200 homes are needed to address current needs, and 8,600 homes are needed for the future.
King, the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King, touted his background in housing development as a key reason he believes Maine can reach his ambitious goal.
“As someone who’s built thousands of units of affordable housing across this country, I know how hard it is,” he said. “But I also know how really critically important it is for Maine’s economy and for Maine’s families.”
King said 85% of housing units are built by private companies and he’d like to see that continue. But state government can better coordinate those efforts and help reduce red tape, he said.
King released his plan with just six weeks to go until the June 9 primary. He will face fellow Democrats Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, Hannah Pingree and Dr. Nirav Shah in the ranked-choice balloting.
Building housing units in city neighborhoods is one of the goals outlined in Angus King III’s plan to address the state’s housing shortage. (Spectrum News/Susan Cover)
On Monday, Jackson and Bellows picked up the endorsement of the state workers’ union, which urged their members to rank Jackson first and Bellows second.
And just last week, the Sierra Club of Maine endorsed Jackson, Bellows and Pingree, but did not recommend a particular order.
On the Republican side, voters in June will have seven choices: Jonathan Bush, Bobby Charles, Garrett Mason, David Jones, Owen McCarthy, Ben Midgley and Robert Wessels.
When it comes to housing, Maine continues to face an uphill battle to provide enough housing stock across the spectrum, from starter homes to affordable retirement options.
King’s plan calls for having the state help cities and towns simplify their building codes and permitting process so developers can build homes faster. In a press release, his campaign said that “Maine ranks among the worse in the nation for complexity in a time when we need common sense.”
He also supports greater housing density, making it easier to build manufactured housing and doing a better job training middle and high school students to take jobs in the trades.
“Are you trying to help the towns that want to build housing?” he said. “Are you helping grow the workforce that’s going to ultimately build the housing that we need? Are you going to lean in on innovation that’s going to make a real difference, whether it’s in design or manufacturing or materials or financing?”
Read the story at Spectrum News.